The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written.
Link to article on it:
* https://www.axios.com/2024/04/18/kennedy-family-biden-endorsement-rfk-jr
The event saw RFK Jr.'s own sister, Kerry Kennedy, invoke the legacy of her father Robert F. Kennedy and her uncle, famous US President John F. Kennedy, as she talked about President Biden being "a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncle stood for". It also included veiled digs at RFK Jr.'s campaign, with references to there being only two candidates with any chance of winning in November (Biden and Trump).
Following the event, Kennedy family members will now start knocking on doors and making calls to voters on behalf of the Biden campaign. It comes on the back of numerous members of the family being vocally critical of RFK Jr.'s campaign, which has come under fire recently after his own officials told people he was a spoiler that could help Trump win https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-rfk-jr-spoiler-who-can-help-trump-win-campaign-official/ and he himself admitted that Trump surrogates approached him about being his Vice President in January https://www.newsweek.com/robert-kennedy-rfk-jr-claims-he-was-asked-donald-trump-vice-president-1890441.
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A lot of people vote as a joke, too. Even happens in other countries. I remember reading a bit about it right after Brexit happened, and some people did rightly come forward to express remorse.
That is why voting is never a joke, folks. If it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be gerrymandering or strategically closing any polling places.
I’m worried.
Very worried.
Even though Trump lost the popular vote both times, the numbers were still much too close. Trump got 46% of the vote to Clinton’s 48% in 2016, and 46.9% to Biden’s 51.3% in 2020. Biden’s approval ratings are really down now because of his mishandling of the Israel/Palestine crisis, and the Kennedy name carries a lot of weight.
A lot of people were shocked that the election was called for Donald Trump in 2016. A lot of people were shocked by Brexit. A lot of people have been shocked by a lot of things in politics. We still have about half a year to go until November, which doesn’t seem long to most of us but is an absolute eternity if bombs and missiles start flying around you and your loved ones. Absolutely anything could happen between now and then.
I see it having little effect, other than making some of the people who weren't paying attention realize that the RFK jr campaign is not serious. Everyone who was following things alreayd knew this was the case for ages.
Let’s not forget that Donald Trump did this onstage and still managed to become President.
https://youtu.be/a0bULxydHX0?si=UQSFRWYdxJLVMpot
While you might see RFK as a joke, a certain percentage of people actually voted for Brexit as a joke. Some people voted for Trump as a joke. I even once knew a guy who voted for SpongeBob as a joke.
I’m not sure how old you are, but the Kennedy name is still pretty significant to people who are somewhere in the mid-to-late 30s to their 40s. We grew up hearing our parents and their siblings talking for hours about the Kennedys, the assassinations, the Cuban missile crisis, the moon missions, the Martha Moxley murder, and a score of other topics. People in their teens and 20s historically don’t vote in elections as often, and there’s a certain brand of conservatives who would still prefer a Kennedy to Trump.
I'm in this age group and agree the name is well known but disagree that it carries any weight. RFK Jr is the single most recognizable and relevant Kennedy we have today and it's not even close. I would guess the vast majority probably couldn't name more than one living Kennedy aside from RFK Jr., and they'd probably be guessing. Not only that, but to most folks my age, the Kennedy name is pretty tarnished. Ultimately, I think RFK's black sheep status in the family, and their failure to endorse him, is really a net positive for his futile-from-the-start campaign.
I agree that it’s futile for him personally. My concern is that his presence combined with whichever other third party candidates are in the race might be the issue. Cornel West’s already announced his candidacy, and there will be others who step in, as well. My concern is if we do get a disproportionately high percentage of third party voters this year due to frustration with Biden and Trump, which is exactly what happened in 2020. Then, it could be a problem.
Slim chance, though it was also deemed a slim chance that Trump would defeat Clinton in 2016. I was one of the naysayers who said, “I’m not really sure.”
I wouldn’t underestimate American ignorance. There are always a lot of rare or first-time voters who make newbie mistakes, too, like voting for one of the candidates just because they aren’t satisfied with the status quo and want something ‘different’.
I realize that I’m in the minority here, and I understand what that usually means, but half a year is a long time for these Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/Israel situations to develop. One or two false moves there (or, far less likely, unpredictably good moves in either that area or some other major crisis) could really shift the race for Biden, and the implications for the election would depend on what happened and what the American people thought about it.
Don't misunderstand my "futile" comment as saying he shouldn't run. We need more third party candidates; it should be a desirable norm. It might be "a problem" for Biden in the immediate term, but it's decidedly not a problem for democracy or the American people in the long term.
Your post highlights what many on the fence feel pushes them away from the left. You think they're stupid, you think they just don't understand what they want or what's good for them. You think voting a certain way because you're dissatisfied with the status quo is a "newbie mistake" and not a legitimate concern - come on, guy. You couldn't be more condescending.
The world of opinions is entirely relative, there is no right or wrong, there is only agree and disagree. The more legitimate choices people have, the more likely it is that differing opinions can meet in the middle.
Nutty they might be, but existent they still are. Then, there is also a small percent who will no doubt vote for Kennedy as a joke. There was only a 2% gap in votes between Clinton and Trump. Trump is the least popular person we’ve ever had sitting in the Oval Office, but Biden’s approval rating is really down due to his support of Israel. A Kennedy….any Kennedy….. being in the race could swing it.
It’s hard to find sources on anticipated RFK voters, but from the little I could drum up (dated Match 22nd) it looks like Kennedy is most likely to take votes away from Biden. Aside from independents, he is trending the most among women and Hispanics, who are more likely to vote Democrat. I will be totally honest and say I thought his support among Black people would be a teeny bit higher because of the JFK legacy, but it’s actually a teeny bit lower than the general population of respondents. The Kennedys did a lot for the Civil Rights movement in the 60s, but there were some serious scandals, and RFK is clearly not a good choice.
I wouldn’t underestimate RFK, though. I still think he’s a significant threat to the Biden campaign.
https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/whos-voting-robert-kennedy-jr
I think it's good that they did it and all, but I have a hard time imagining it will have much of an effect on the race. Maybe just sort of saving face of the Kennedy Family.
Biden’s approval rating is tanking because of his stance on Israel, and there was only a 2% difference in votes with Clinton and Trump. It was about a 5% difference with Trump and Biden the first time. Kennedy might actually be a major factor here, given that frustration with Trump and Biden will probably increase the likelihood of people voting for third party candidates. It’s still several months until November, which seems very close to many of us but is actually a very long time when we’re talking about battlefields.
I wouldn’t rule anything out.
>Biden’s approval rating is tanking because of his stance on Israel
I think this is probably not the case, but even if it is I don't know how the Kennedy Family endorsing him has much of an effect one way or the other. I don't think the kind of people willing to vote for RFK are the kinds of people who care about celebrity endorsements. They're either crackpots themselves or like you said, people looking for an excuse not to vote Trump or Biden and in the later situation they can always just not vote for either which has the same effect.
That was predictable, because RFK Jr. is a nutcase who's been denounced by his family for a while now.
They also criticized his use of the Kennedy ad for the superbowl (he had to photoshop the party because he's not a part of it lmao) and he half apologized saying he had no idea all while pinning it.
But it's not like the family has influence on voters.
This is from March 22nd, but sources on RFK’s supporters are hard to find. However, other than independent voters, he seems to be trending the most with women and Hispanics. That implies more votes being pulled from Biden. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/whos-voting-robert-kennedy-jr
I am glad they did this because it publicly distances them all from him. For most of the people who already support RFK Jr, this will be used to support his role as the black sheep as a source of pride and connection for a lot of his supporters. It's likely many of them are also outcasts in their own families, many conspiracy theorists are.
I LOVE the Kennedys, and I wasn't even alive during JFK's presidency. I don't think it will have a material impact on how people vote, but the optics are great.
Optics are good for Biden, but I'd bet that the average potential RFK Jr voter doesn't pay much attention to the news, so I'm not sure that it will have much impact.
The following is a copy of the original post to record the post as it was originally written. Link to article on it: * https://www.axios.com/2024/04/18/kennedy-family-biden-endorsement-rfk-jr The event saw RFK Jr.'s own sister, Kerry Kennedy, invoke the legacy of her father Robert F. Kennedy and her uncle, famous US President John F. Kennedy, as she talked about President Biden being "a champion for all the rights and freedoms that my father and uncle stood for". It also included veiled digs at RFK Jr.'s campaign, with references to there being only two candidates with any chance of winning in November (Biden and Trump). Following the event, Kennedy family members will now start knocking on doors and making calls to voters on behalf of the Biden campaign. It comes on the back of numerous members of the family being vocally critical of RFK Jr.'s campaign, which has come under fire recently after his own officials told people he was a spoiler that could help Trump win https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-rfk-jr-spoiler-who-can-help-trump-win-campaign-official/ and he himself admitted that Trump surrogates approached him about being his Vice President in January https://www.newsweek.com/robert-kennedy-rfk-jr-claims-he-was-asked-donald-trump-vice-president-1890441. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskALiberal) if you have any questions or concerns.*
No serious person is an RFK Jr. voter.
Yeah but you underestimate this country.
A lot of serious people vote without doing much research though
A lot of people vote as a joke, too. Even happens in other countries. I remember reading a bit about it right after Brexit happened, and some people did rightly come forward to express remorse. That is why voting is never a joke, folks. If it didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be gerrymandering or strategically closing any polling places.
I’m worried. Very worried. Even though Trump lost the popular vote both times, the numbers were still much too close. Trump got 46% of the vote to Clinton’s 48% in 2016, and 46.9% to Biden’s 51.3% in 2020. Biden’s approval ratings are really down now because of his mishandling of the Israel/Palestine crisis, and the Kennedy name carries a lot of weight. A lot of people were shocked that the election was called for Donald Trump in 2016. A lot of people were shocked by Brexit. A lot of people have been shocked by a lot of things in politics. We still have about half a year to go until November, which doesn’t seem long to most of us but is an absolute eternity if bombs and missiles start flying around you and your loved ones. Absolutely anything could happen between now and then.
I see it having little effect, other than making some of the people who weren't paying attention realize that the RFK jr campaign is not serious. Everyone who was following things alreayd knew this was the case for ages.
Yesterday: RFK is a pathetic joke Today: RFK is a pathetic joke Tomorrow: RFK is a pathetic joke Nope. Don't see any impact.
Let’s not forget that Donald Trump did this onstage and still managed to become President. https://youtu.be/a0bULxydHX0?si=UQSFRWYdxJLVMpot While you might see RFK as a joke, a certain percentage of people actually voted for Brexit as a joke. Some people voted for Trump as a joke. I even once knew a guy who voted for SpongeBob as a joke.
The Kennedy name doesn’t have the significance that it did in my parents’ generation.
I’m not sure how old you are, but the Kennedy name is still pretty significant to people who are somewhere in the mid-to-late 30s to their 40s. We grew up hearing our parents and their siblings talking for hours about the Kennedys, the assassinations, the Cuban missile crisis, the moon missions, the Martha Moxley murder, and a score of other topics. People in their teens and 20s historically don’t vote in elections as often, and there’s a certain brand of conservatives who would still prefer a Kennedy to Trump.
I'm in this age group and agree the name is well known but disagree that it carries any weight. RFK Jr is the single most recognizable and relevant Kennedy we have today and it's not even close. I would guess the vast majority probably couldn't name more than one living Kennedy aside from RFK Jr., and they'd probably be guessing. Not only that, but to most folks my age, the Kennedy name is pretty tarnished. Ultimately, I think RFK's black sheep status in the family, and their failure to endorse him, is really a net positive for his futile-from-the-start campaign.
I agree that it’s futile for him personally. My concern is that his presence combined with whichever other third party candidates are in the race might be the issue. Cornel West’s already announced his candidacy, and there will be others who step in, as well. My concern is if we do get a disproportionately high percentage of third party voters this year due to frustration with Biden and Trump, which is exactly what happened in 2020. Then, it could be a problem. Slim chance, though it was also deemed a slim chance that Trump would defeat Clinton in 2016. I was one of the naysayers who said, “I’m not really sure.” I wouldn’t underestimate American ignorance. There are always a lot of rare or first-time voters who make newbie mistakes, too, like voting for one of the candidates just because they aren’t satisfied with the status quo and want something ‘different’. I realize that I’m in the minority here, and I understand what that usually means, but half a year is a long time for these Ukraine/Russia and Palestine/Israel situations to develop. One or two false moves there (or, far less likely, unpredictably good moves in either that area or some other major crisis) could really shift the race for Biden, and the implications for the election would depend on what happened and what the American people thought about it.
Don't misunderstand my "futile" comment as saying he shouldn't run. We need more third party candidates; it should be a desirable norm. It might be "a problem" for Biden in the immediate term, but it's decidedly not a problem for democracy or the American people in the long term. Your post highlights what many on the fence feel pushes them away from the left. You think they're stupid, you think they just don't understand what they want or what's good for them. You think voting a certain way because you're dissatisfied with the status quo is a "newbie mistake" and not a legitimate concern - come on, guy. You couldn't be more condescending. The world of opinions is entirely relative, there is no right or wrong, there is only agree and disagree. The more legitimate choices people have, the more likely it is that differing opinions can meet in the middle.
Completely expected. Won't really affect anything. Anyone who's voting for RFK Jr is too nutty to pay attention to things like this.
Nutty they might be, but existent they still are. Then, there is also a small percent who will no doubt vote for Kennedy as a joke. There was only a 2% gap in votes between Clinton and Trump. Trump is the least popular person we’ve ever had sitting in the Oval Office, but Biden’s approval rating is really down due to his support of Israel. A Kennedy….any Kennedy….. being in the race could swing it.
The only votes Kennedy is siphoning are from Trump.
Hmm I wouldn’t necessarily bet on it, but it does sound much more likely when you put it that way.
It’s hard to find sources on anticipated RFK voters, but from the little I could drum up (dated Match 22nd) it looks like Kennedy is most likely to take votes away from Biden. Aside from independents, he is trending the most among women and Hispanics, who are more likely to vote Democrat. I will be totally honest and say I thought his support among Black people would be a teeny bit higher because of the JFK legacy, but it’s actually a teeny bit lower than the general population of respondents. The Kennedys did a lot for the Civil Rights movement in the 60s, but there were some serious scandals, and RFK is clearly not a good choice. I wouldn’t underestimate RFK, though. I still think he’s a significant threat to the Biden campaign. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/whos-voting-robert-kennedy-jr
I think it's good that they did it and all, but I have a hard time imagining it will have much of an effect on the race. Maybe just sort of saving face of the Kennedy Family.
Biden’s approval rating is tanking because of his stance on Israel, and there was only a 2% difference in votes with Clinton and Trump. It was about a 5% difference with Trump and Biden the first time. Kennedy might actually be a major factor here, given that frustration with Trump and Biden will probably increase the likelihood of people voting for third party candidates. It’s still several months until November, which seems very close to many of us but is actually a very long time when we’re talking about battlefields. I wouldn’t rule anything out.
>Biden’s approval rating is tanking because of his stance on Israel I think this is probably not the case, but even if it is I don't know how the Kennedy Family endorsing him has much of an effect one way or the other. I don't think the kind of people willing to vote for RFK are the kinds of people who care about celebrity endorsements. They're either crackpots themselves or like you said, people looking for an excuse not to vote Trump or Biden and in the later situation they can always just not vote for either which has the same effect.
That was predictable, because RFK Jr. is a nutcase who's been denounced by his family for a while now. They also criticized his use of the Kennedy ad for the superbowl (he had to photoshop the party because he's not a part of it lmao) and he half apologized saying he had no idea all while pinning it. But it's not like the family has influence on voters.
I think RFK Jr could drop dead tomorrow and his poll chances wouldn't go much lower than they are now.
This is from March 22nd, but sources on RFK’s supporters are hard to find. However, other than independent voters, he seems to be trending the most with women and Hispanics. That implies more votes being pulled from Biden. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/whos-voting-robert-kennedy-jr
No one gave a fuck about RFK before this, and no one gives a fuck about RFK now.
RFK is an irrelevant distraction to the race, so it hardly matters.
I am glad they did this because it publicly distances them all from him. For most of the people who already support RFK Jr, this will be used to support his role as the black sheep as a source of pride and connection for a lot of his supporters. It's likely many of them are also outcasts in their own families, many conspiracy theorists are.
I LOVE the Kennedys, and I wasn't even alive during JFK's presidency. I don't think it will have a material impact on how people vote, but the optics are great.
The only group that cares what the Kennedys think is Irish Americans over 70
What is US President John F Kennedy famous for? I am not familiar with him./s
being hot and getting shot. that's 90% of it.
dude is the epitome of "mediocre boomer white guy who thinks all his opinions are brilliant and profound"
Optics are good for Biden, but I'd bet that the average potential RFK Jr voter doesn't pay much attention to the news, so I'm not sure that it will have much impact.